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by Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 4, 2022

A well-paced story that highlights several timely issues, with a stimulating courtroom trial that makes it worth reading.

The shocking murder of a teenager thrusts a small town into the headlines and destabilizes the lives of everyone who knew her.

Olivia McAfee, a professional beekeeper and single mother, fled Boston and an abusive husband to try to give her son, Asher, a better life in small-town New Hampshire. Things go well for their first 12 years in Adams. Asher is a well-liked senior and captain of the high school hockey team; he barely remembers his abusive father; he and his mother have a great relationship; and he's preparing to go off to college. Then he meets Lily Campanello, a new girl who, like his mother, has fled a troubled past. Things get very serious quickly; then, one afternoon after they've had a fight, Asher finds Lily dead at the bottom of her basement stairs. Before he even has time to grieve, he's arrested and charged with her murder. What follows is a long and public courtroom trial in which everyone's secrets are exposed and even his own mother begins to question his innocence. Told in two storylines—one Olivia's, in the present, and one Lily's, going backward from the day of her murder—the novel is well plotted but sometimes feels long-winded, including characters who don't have much significance and details that don't seem relevant. It takes a while for the book to get moving, but once the trial begins, it becomes more compelling, and the courtroom scenes are where the writing shines brightest. The characters aren't as well developed as they should be, though, often feeling wooden or monochromatic—some always say the right thing while others always say or do the wrong thing—and the ending is predictable.

Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-9848-1838-6

Page Count: 464

Publisher: Ballantine

Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022

THRILLER | GENERAL FICTION

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by Jodi Picoult

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New York Times Bestseller

by Kristin Hannah ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024

A dramatic, vividly detailed reconstruction of a little-known aspect of the Vietnam War.

A young woman’s experience as a nurse in Vietnam casts a deep shadow over her life.

When we learn that the farewell party in the opening scene is for Frances “Frankie” McGrath’s older brother—“a golden boy, a wild child who could make the hardest heart soften”—who is leaving to serve in Vietnam in 1966, we feel pretty certain that poor Finley McGrath is marked for death. Still, it’s a surprise when the fateful doorbell rings less than 20 pages later. His death inspires his sister to enlist as an Army nurse, and this turn of events is just the beginning of a roller coaster of a plot that’s impressive and engrossing if at times a bit formulaic. Hannah renders the experiences of the young women who served in Vietnam in all-encompassing detail. The first half of the book, set in gore-drenched hospital wards, mildewed dorm rooms, and boozy officers’ clubs, is an exciting read, tracking the transformation of virginal, uptight Frankie into a crack surgical nurse and woman of the world. Her tensely platonic romance with a married surgeon ends when his broken, unbreathing body is airlifted out by helicopter; she throws her pent-up passion into a wild affair with a soldier who happens to be her dead brother’s best friend. In the second part of the book, after the war, Frankie seems to experience every possible bad break. A drawback of the story is that none of the secondary characters in her life are fully three-dimensional: Her dismissive, chauvinistic father and tight-lipped, pill-popping mother, her fellow nurses, and her various love interests are more plot devices than people. You’ll wish you could have gone to Vegas and placed a bet on the ending—while it’s against all the odds, you’ll see it coming from a mile away.

Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024

ISBN: 9781250178633

Page Count: 480

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023

FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | GENERAL FICTION | HISTORICAL FICTION

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by Kristin Hannah

PERSPECTIVES

Film Adaptation of ‘The Women’ in the Works

by Nora Roberts ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 21, 2024

A touching story of love and grief ends in an epic battle of good versus evil.

Roberts’ latest may move you to tears, or joy, or dread, or all three.

Every summer, John and Cora Fox visit Cora’s mother, Lucy Lannigan, in Redbud Hollow, Kentucky, leaving their children, 12-year-old Thea and 10-year-old Rem, for a two-week taste of heaven. The children love Grammie Lucy far more than John’s snooty family, which looks down on Cora. Lucy, a healer with deep Appalachian roots, loves animals, cooks the best meals, plays musical instruments, and makes soap and candles for her thriving business. Thea—who’s inherited the psychic abilities passed down through the women of Lucy’s family—has vivid magical dreams, one of which becomes a living nightmare when a psychopath robs and murders John and Cora as Thea watches helplessly. Thea’s description of the killer and her ability to see him in real time help the skeptical police catch Ray Riggs, who goes to prison for life. Although Thea and Rem go on to have a wonderful childhood with Grammie, Thea constantly wages a mental battle with Riggs, who tries to use his own psychic abilities to get into her mind. Over the years, Thea uses her imagination to become a game designer while the more business-minded Rem helps manage her career. Thea eventually builds a house near Lucy, where a newly arrived neighbor is her teen crush, singer-songwriter Tyler Brennan. Tyler has his own issues and is protective of his young son but slowly builds a loving relationship with Thea, whose silence about her abilities leads to a devastating misunderstanding. At first Thea tries to keep Riggs locked out of her mind. As her powers grow, she torments him. Finally, she realizes that she must win this battle and destroy him if she’s ever to have peace.

Pub Date: May 21, 2024

ISBN: 9781250289698

Page Count: 432

Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024

More by Nora Roberts

by Nora Roberts

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Review: Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

Editorial note: I received a copy of Mad Honey in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

Mad Hone y by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan is an impactful and timely story that will stay with you.

Jodi Picoult does not shy away from covering relevant and to some, controversial topics. She has this masterful way of presenting a story that seems pretty clear cut on paper and then about midway, there is a twist that changes everything.

Mad Honey is the latest example of this.

The novel, co-written with Jennifer Finney Boylan, covers so much: identity, gender, abuse, love, toxic relationships and much more. It’s not an easy read and many times, it’s quite sad but it’s also important and I think will open many eyes to the struggles that people deal with on a daily basis.

What’s the Story About

The story is told from the perspectives of Olivia and Lily. Olivia is a beekeeper and a mother to a teenager son, Asher. She left behind an abusive marriage to start over in her hometown in New Hampshire.

Whereas Lily is a teenager girl who just moved to the area with her mother. She is also hoping for a fresh start from a painful past.

Asher and Lily eventually start to date and fall in love and for once, everything seems at peace. Until one day, Lily is found dead and Asher is the number one suspect.

While Olivia believes that her son is innocent, she starts to recognize similar traits that his father holds as well. She begins to question everything she knows.

Olivia and Lily

Jodi Picoult mainly wrote Olivia’s perspective while Jennifer Finney Boylan wrote Lily’s. The final work is rather seamless and cohesive and I thought their collaboration was quite strong. I was so engaged with both characters and their journey. I so wished for a better outcome for Lily as her story is so heartbreaking.

In many ways, Olivia and Lily are quite similar. They have suffered abuse and left toxic relationships. And they both love Asher.

Olivia’s story is told in present time while Lily’s is told backwards. I’m not sure why they made that choice—perhaps it was to keep the twist hidden longer. It didn’t bother me but I know some readers had a problem with that.

I hope readers approach this story with an open mind. I keep these spoiler free and I don’t want to reveal the twist. I think some will probably see it coming and others may not. I’ve read reviews that explain key plot points and sometimes it’s fine for the particular story but other times, you want to go into the novel fresh and not have that reveal in the back of your mind.

I believe the authors chose to present the story like that for a reason and I want to respect their process.

That said, speaking in somewhat vague terms, I feel like this was eye opening story covering a segment of the population that is underrepresented in the media—unless, they’re being vilified by politicians.

This story, while of course fiction, does give a face and voice to the journey that many people go through.

Mad Honey is an important and impactful read. It’s very well done and will make you think. And those are always the ideal book club selections.

I see why Good Morning America chose this for their October pick. It will for sure get a lot of people talking.

However, there is a melancholy feel to it though and it’s quite tragic. So something to keep in mind.

Check out my book club questions here .

Book Review: Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult; Jennifer Finney Boylan

Posted September 29, 2022 by WendyW in Book Review , bookblogger / 48 Comments

***I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.***

A soul-stirring novel about what we choose to keep from our past, and what we choose to leave behind.

Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. Her picture-perfect life—living in Boston, married to a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, raising a beautiful son, Asher—was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. She never imagined she would end up back in her sleepy New Hampshire hometown, living in the house she grew up in, and taking over her father's beekeeping business.

Lily Campanello is familiar with do-overs, too. When she and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start.

And for just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can’t help but fall for him, too. With Ash, she feels happy for the first time. Yet at times, she wonders if she can she trust him completely . . .

Then one day, Olivia receives a phone call: Lily is dead, and Asher is being questioned by the police. Olivia is adamant that her son is innocent. But she would be lying if she didn’t acknowledge the flashes of his father’s temper in him, and as the case against him unfolds, she realizes he’s hidden more than he’s shared with her.

Mad Honey is a riveting novel of suspense, an unforgettable love story, and a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become ourselves.

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult; Jennifer Finney Boylan is one of my most anticipated reads of 2022 and it did not disappoint! I enjoyed the book very much, from the characters to the courtroom drama to the bees and the twist that took the book in a completely different direction.

Olivia McAfee is a single mother to Asher. Olivia and Asher moved to Adams New Hampshire, Olivia’s hometown when Asher was six years old. Olivia’s father kept bees, and Olivia returned to continue the business as well as escape the horrors of her marriage to a cardiac surgeon in Boston. Lily Campanello recently arrived in Adams, with her mother to escape a terrible situation back in California. Lily’s mother, Ava is a Forest Ranger, and also a single mother.

Asher and Lily start dating and fall in love. One day, Olivia gets a phone call from her son, telling her he’s in jail for the murder of Lily. Olivia can’t believe her son could or would do anything to hurt Lily, but in the back of her mind, she remembers the terrible temper of Asher’s father and the few times she had a glimpse of that temper in Asher.

I really enjoyed this one! I loved the courtroom drama, the little bits of information about the bees, and the small-town charm of Adams, NH. But most of all, I loved the characters. Two strong single mothers, Olivia and Ava, both sacrificed their own wishes and lives to ensure their children were safe and protected. Their strength and selflessness shine in this book, and I loved both of them.

Next is Asher and Lily, who both fall in love, and there is nothing like first love. They are each other’s strengths and support each other, their relationship seems solid until Lily is murdered, and the only suspect is Asher. Lily’s murder takes place early in the story, but we get flashbacks to her life back in California and her relationship with Asher throughout the book.

My favorite part of this was the courtroom scenes, I was on the edge of my seat each time a witness took the stand, as the tide of the case went back and forth in Asher’s favor and then against Asher. And it’s during the courtroom scenes that we learn so much about their relationship.

I also enjoyed all the trivia about the bees. I have 2 beehives in my backyard, and I still learned a lot about them from this book. But, more importantly, I liked how the bee trivia related to what was going on in the book. It was clever how the authors used the bee information and tied it into the story.

I will be thinking of this book, and these characters for a long time to come. I highly recommend Mad Honey to anyone who enjoys fiction. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

About Jennifer Finney Boylan

Jennifer Finney Boylan is the author of sixteen books, including GOOD BOY: My Life in Seven Dogs. Since 2008 she has been a contributing opinion writer for op/ed page of the New York Times; her column appears on alternate Wednesdays. A member of the board of trustees of PEN America, Jenny was also the chair of the board of GLAAD for many years. She is currently the Anna Quindlen Writer in Residence and Professor of English at Barnard College of Columbia University.

Jenny is a well known advocate for human rights. She has appeared five times on the Oprah Winfrey Show and has also been a guest or a commentator on Larry King Live, Good Morning America, and The Today Show. She is also a member of the faculty of the Breadloaf Writers' Conference of Middlebury College as well as Sirenland, in Positano, Italy.

She lives in Maine with her wife Deirdre. They have two children.

About Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twenty-seven novels, including The Book of Two Ways, A Spark of Light, Small Great Things, Leaving Time, The Storyteller, Lone Wolf, Sing You Home, House Rules, Handle with Care, Change of Heart, and My Sister's Keeper, and, with daughter Samantha van Leer, two young adult novels, Between the Lines and Off the Page.

Picoult’s books have been translated into thirty-four languages in thirty-five countries. Four novels – The Pact, Plain Truth, The Tenth Circle, and Salem Falls - have been made into television movies. My Sister’s Keeper was a film released from New Line Cinema, with Nick Cassavetes directing and Cameron Diaz starring. SMALL GREAT THINGS has been optioned for motion picture adaptation by Amblin Entertainment and is set to star Viola Davis and Julia Roberts. Picoult’s two Young Adult novels, Between The Lines and Off The Page, co-written with her daughter Samantha Van Leer, have been adapted and developed by the authors into a musical entitled Between The Lines which had its world premiere in September 2017 at the Kansas City Repertory Theater and is expected to premiere Off-Broadway in Summer 2019.

Picoult is the recipient of many awards, including the New England Bookseller Award for Fiction, the Alex Awards from the YALSA, a lifetime achievement award for mainstream fiction from the Romance Writers of America, the NH Literary Award for Outstanding Literary Merit and the Sarah Josepha Hale Award. She holds honorary doctor of letters degrees from Dartmouth College and the University of New Haven.

Picoult is the recipient of many awards, including the New England Bookseller Award for Fiction, the Alex Awards from the YALSA, a lifetime achievement award for mainstream fiction from the Romance Writers of America, and the NH Literary Award for Outstanding Literary Merit. She holds honorary doctor of letters degrees from Dartmouth College and the University of New Haven. She is also a member of the advisory board for VIDA: Women in Literary Arts.

Picoult lives in New Hampshire with her husband. They have three children.

I like the simplicity of the UK cover. And it’s got bees on the cover.

Have you read Mad Honey? Is it on your TBR? Which cover do you prefer?

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As the authors of MAD HONEY reveal in their authors’ notes, this novel had a thoroughly modern origin story. Jennifer Finney Boylan woke up after having a dream in which she had co-authored a novel with Jodi Picoult. Instead of keeping that anecdote to herself, Boylan tweeted at Picoult, who in turn asked what the book’s plot was --- and from there a real-life collaboration was born.

"Picoult and Boylan address important questions about motherhood, domestic violence and, most critically to the plot, identity, especially gender identity and the concept of 'passing' as it relates to gender expression."

MAD HONEY opens in the voice of Olivia McAfee, the divorced mother of a teenage son, Asher. They live in rural New Hampshire, where Olivia modestly supports her small family as a beekeeper. Asher, an avid hockey player, is head over heels in love with his girlfriend, Lily Campanello, who recently moved from northern California with her mom, Ava. Olivia has grown fond of Lily, and she has enjoyed seeing how happy Lily makes Asher. So she’s completely unprepared for the shock revealed to readers at the end of the first chapter: Lily is dead, and Asher is the prime suspect in her suspicious death.

To narrate what happens after Lily’s death (including a tension- and twist-filled courtroom saga) and trace what led up to it, Picoult and Boylan tell their story in two different voices and chronologies, which alternate throughout the novel. Both narratives start on the day of Lily’s death. Olivia’s chapters go forward in time over the following weeks and months, while Lily’s go backward, outlining the history of their relationship as well as the circumstances that led Lily and her mom to want to make a fresh start in a new place.

Along the way, Picoult and Boylan address important questions about motherhood, domestic violence and, most critically to the plot, identity, especially gender identity and the concept of “passing” as it relates to gender expression. The authors are careful about how they define terms, provide explanations, and allow trans characters to speak for themselves. It’s likely that many readers who haven’t been exposed to gender nonconforming individuals, or haven’t thought deeply about gender issues previously, will deepen their own understanding and empathy considerably.

Some characters are underdeveloped. Olivia’s ex-husband is an almost cartoonish villain, and Lily’s grieving mother remains heartbreakingly opaque to readers. But Olivia and Lily are complicated and realistically flawed characters. They make choices with significant repercussions, and demonstrate both profound regrets and hopes. The tragedy, of course, is that Lily’s dreams and aspirations are cut short. How and why that happens isn’t revealed entirely until close to the end of the novel, helping to ensure that readers will find MAD HONEY as propulsive as it is illuminating and heartbreaking.

Reviewed by Norah Piehl on October 7, 2022

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

Publication Date: September 5, 2023
Genres: Fiction , Women's Fiction
Paperback: 480 pages
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN-10: 1984818406
ISBN-13: 9781984818409

By Any Other Name
Wish You Were Here
The Book of Two Ways
A Spark of Light
Small Great Things
Off the Page
Leaving Time
The Storyteller
Between the Lines
Sing You Home
Over The Moon
House Rules
Handle With Care
Change of Heart
Wonder Woman
Nineteen Minutes
The Tenth Circle
Vanishing Acts
My Sister's Keeper
Second Glance
Perfect Match
Salem Falls
Plain Truth
Keeping Faith
Picture Perfect
Harvesting the Heart
Songs of the Humpback Whale

Jodi Picoult

Read an excerpt »

The Mad Honey Book Club Kit includes: Authors’ note, Discussion questions, Playlist, Recipes, and Resources for LGBTQ+ young people, parents, and allies,

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Signed editions of MAD HONEY hardcover are available at independent stores listed here , and also at Barnes & Noble and BAM .

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Mad honey –co-written with jennifer finney boylan., ⭐ a good morning america book club pick ⭐ ⭐ people magazine’s book of the week ⭐.

A soul-stirring new novel about what we choose to keep from our past, and what we choose to leave behind , from the New York Times bestselling author of Wish You Were Here and the bestselling author of She‘s Not There.

Heart-pounding and heartbreaking. This collaboration between two best-selling authors seamlessly weaves together Olivia and Lily’s journeys, creating a provocative exploration of the strength that love and acceptance require. The Washington Post

Mad Honey is in development for a series/film.

MAD HONEY Book Tour »

“MAD HONEY has all of the things: alternating narratives, suspense, courtroom drama, and a love story at its core. It’s about authenticity, identity, and it explores the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become our true selves.”

—Jodi Picoult

Lily Campanello is familiar with do-overs, too. When she and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start.

Mad Honey is a riveting novel of suspense, an unforgettable love story, and a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become ourselves.

Read an excerpt »

Praise for Mad Honey

Gripping . . . This timely and absorbing read will make readers glad these two powerful writers decided to collaborate. Booklist (starred)

A spellbinding yarn . . . atmospheric . . . riveting . . . Overall, it’s a fruitful collaboration. Publishers Weekly

Compelling . . . A well-paced story that highlights several timely issues, with a stimulating courtroom trial that makes it worth reading. Kirkus Reviews

One of the best books of the year PopSugar

Jodi Picoult and Professor Jennifer Finney Boylan

Jodi Picoult And Jennifer Finney Boylan On How A “Magical” Dream Turned Into A Book Project

Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan’s novel Mad Honey is out now, so they answered our questions about how they came to co-write a book together, becoming closer through the process, and the books they feel strongly about.

US and Canada tour - Jodi Picoult and Professor Jennifer Finney Boylan

MAD HONEY book tour photos: US and Canada

AU - NZ jacket

Jodi Picoult is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 28 novels, including Mad Honey , Wish You Were Here , The Book of Two Ways , A Spark of Light , Small Great Things , Leaving Time , The Storyteller , Lone Wolf , Sing You Home , House Rules , Handle with Care , Change of Heart , and My Sister's Keeper , and, with daughter Samantha van Leer, two young adult novels, Between the Lines and Off the Page .

Picoult lives in New Hampshire with her husband. They have three children.

Jodi talks about

An excerpt mad honey, december 7, 2018.

From the moment I knew I was having a baby, I wanted it to be a girl. I wandered the aisles of department stores, touching doll-size dresses and tiny sequined shoes. I pictured us with matching nail polish—me, who’d never had a manicure in my life. I imagined the day her fairy hair was long enough to capture in pigtails, her nose pressed to the glass of a school bus window; I saw her first crush, prom dress, heartbreak. Each vision was a bead on a rosary of future memories; I prayed daily.

As it turned out, I was not a zealot . . . only a martyr.

When I gave birth, and the doctor announced the baby’s sex, I did not believe it at first. I had done such a stellar job of convincing myself of what I wanted that I completely forgot what I needed. But when I held Asher, slippery as a minnow, I was relieved.

Better to have a boy, who would never be someone’s victim.

MOST PEOPLE IN Adams, New Hampshire, know me by name, and those who don’t, know to steer clear of my home. It’s often that way for beekeepers—like firefighters, we willingly put ourselves into situations that are the stuff of others’ nightmares. Honeybees are far less vindictive than their yellow jacket cousins, but people can’t often tell the difference, so anything that stings and buzzes comes to be seen as a potential hazard. A few hundred yards past the antique Cape, my colonies form a semicircular rainbow of hives, and most of the spring and summer the bees zip between them and the acres of blossoms they pollinate, humming a warning.

I grew up on a small farm that had been in my father’s family for generations: an apple orchard that, in the fall, sold cider and donuts made by my mother and, in the summer, had pick-your-own strawberry fields. We were land-rich and cash-poor. My father was an apiarist by hobby, as was his father before him, and so on, all the way back to the first McAfee who was an original settler of Adams. It is just far enough away from the White Mountain National Forest to have affordable real estate. The town has one traffic light, one bar, one diner, a post office, a town green that used to be a communal sheep grazing area, and Slade Brook—a creek whose name was misprinted in a 1789 geological survey map, but which stuck. Slate Brook, as it should have been written, was named for the eponymous rock mined from its banks, which was shipped far and wide to become tombstones. Slade was the surname of the local undertaker and village drunk, who had a tendency to wander off when he was on a bender, and who ironically killed by drowning in six inches of water in the creek.

When I first brought Braden to meet my parents, I told him that story. He had been driving at the time; his grin flashed like lightning. But who, he’d asked, buried the undertaker?

Back then, we had been living outside of DC, where Braden was a resident in cardiac surgery at Johns Hopkins and I worked at the National Zoo, trying to cobble together enough money for a graduate program in zoology. We’d only been together three months, but I had already moved in with him. We were visiting my parents that weekend because I knew, viscerally, that Braden Fields was the one.

On that first trip back home, I had been so sure of what my future would hold. I was wrong on all counts. I never expected to be an apiarist like my father; I never thought I’d wind up sleeping in my childhood bedroom once again as an adult; I never imagined I’d settle down on a farm my older brother, Jordan, and I once could not wait to leave. I married Braden; he got a fellowship at Mass General;we moved to Boston; I was a doctor’s wife. Then, almost a year to the day of my wedding anniversary, my father didn’t come home one evening after checking his hives. My mother found him, dead of a heart attack in the tall grass, bees haloing his head.

My mother sold the piece of land that held our apple orchard to a couple from Brooklyn. She kept the strawberry fields but was thoroughly at a loss when it came to my father’s hives. Since my brother was busy with a high-powered legal career and my mother was allergic to bees, the apiary fell to me. For five years, I drove from Boston to Adams every week to take care of the colonies. After Asher was born, I’d bring him with me, leaving him in the company of my mother while I checked the hives. I fell in love with beekeeping, the slow-motion flow of pulling a frame out of a hive, the Where’s Waldo? search for the queen. I expanded from five colonies to fifteen. I experimented with bee genetics with colonies from Russia, from Slovenia, from Italy. I signed pollination contracts with the Brooklynites and three other local fruit orchards, setting up new hives on their premises. I harvested, processed, and sold honey and beeswax products at farmers’ markets from the Canadian border to the suburbs of Massachusetts. I became, almost by accident, the first commercially successful beekeeper in the history of apiarist McAfees. By the time Asher and I moved permanently to Adams, I knew I might never get rich doing this, but I could make a living.

My father taught me that beekeeping is both a burden and a privilege. You don’t bother the bees unless they need your help, and you help them when they need it. It’s a feudal relationship: protection in return for a percentage of the fruits of their labors.

He taught me that if a body is easily crushed, it develops a weapon to prevent that from happening.

He taught me that sudden movements get you stung.

I took these lessons a bit too much to heart.

On the day of my father’s funeral, and years later, on the day of my mother’s, I told the bees. It’s an old tradition to inform them of a death in the family; if a beekeeper dies, and the bees aren’t asked to stay on with their new master, they’ll leave. In New Hampshire, the custom is to sing, and the news has to rhyme. So I draped each colony with black crepe, knocked softly, crooned the truth. My beekeeping net became a funeral veil. The hive might well have been a coffin.

BY THE TIME I come downstairs that morning, Asher is in the kitchen. We have a deal, whoever gets up first makes the coffee. My mug still has a wisp of steam rising. He is shoveling cereal into his mouth, absorbed in his phone.

“Morning,” I say, and he grunts in response.

For a moment, I let myself stare at him. It’s hard to believe that the soft-centered little boy who would cry when his hands got sticky with propolis from the hives can now lift a super full of forty pounds of honey as if it weighs no more than his hockey stick. Asher is over six feet tall, but even as he was growing, he was never ungainly. He moves with the kind of grace you find in wildcats, the ones that can steal away a kitten or a chick before you even realize they’ve gone. Asher has my blond hair and the same ghost-green eyes, for which I have always been grateful. He carries his father’s last name, but if I also had to see Braden every time I looked at my son, it would be that much harder.

I catalog the breadth of his shoulders, the damp curls at the nape of his neck; the way the tendons in his forearms shift and play as he scrolls through his texts. It’s shocking, sometimes, to be confronted with this when a second ago he sat on my shoulders, trying to pull down a star and unravel a thread of the night.

“No practice this morning?” I ask, taking a sip of my coffee. Asher has been playing hockey as long as we’ve lived here; he skates as effortlessly as he walks. He was made captain as a junior and reelected this year, as a senior. I never can remember whether they have rink time before school or after, as it changes daily.

His lips tug with a slight smile, and he types a response into his phone, but doesn’t answer.

“Hello?” I say. I slip a piece of bread into the ancient toaster, which is jerry-rigged with duct tape that occasionally catches on fire. Breakfast for me is always toast and honey, never in short supply.

“I guess you have practice later,” I try, and then provide the answer that Asher doesn’t. “Why yes, Mom, thanks for taking such an active interest in my life.”

I fold my arms across my boxy cable-knit sweater. “Am I too old to wear this tube top?” I ask lightly.

“I’m sorry I won’t be here for dinner, but I’m running away with a cult.”

I narrow my eyes. “I posted that naked photo of you as a toddler on Instagram for Throwback Thursday.”

Asher grunts noncommittally. My toast pops up; I spread it with honey and slide into the chair directly across from Asher. “I’d really prefer that you not use my Mastercard to pay for your Pornhub subscription.”

His eyes snap to mine so fast I think I can hear his neck crack. “What? ”

“Oh, hey,” I say smoothly. “Nice to have your attention.”

Asher shakes his head, but he puts down his phone. “I didn’t use your Mastercard,” he says.

“I know.”

“I used your Amex.”

I burst out laughing.

“Also: never ever wear a tube top,” he says. “Jesus.”

“So you were listening.”

“How could I not?” Asher winces. “Just for the record, nobody

else’s mother talks about porn over breakfast.”

“Aren’t you the lucky one, then.”

“Well,” he says, shrugging. “Yeah.” He lifts his coffee mug, clinks

it to mine, and sips.

I don’t know what other parents’ relationships are like with their

children, but the one between me and Asher was forged in fire and, maybe for that reason, is invincible. Even though he’d rather be caught dead than have me throw my arms around him after a winning game, when it’s just the two of us, we are our own universe, a moon and a planet tied together in orbit. Asher may not have grown up in a household with two parents, but the one he has would fight to the death for him.

“Speaking of porn,” I reply, “how’s Lily?”

He chokes on his coffee. “If you love me, you will never say that sentence again.”

Asher’s girlfriend is tiny, dark, with a smile so wide it completely changes the landscape of her face. If Asher is strength, then she is whimsy—a sprite who keeps him from taking himself too seriously; a question mark at the end of his predictable, popular life. Asher’s had no shortage of romantic entanglements with girls he’s known since kindergarten. Lily is a newcomer to town.

This fall, they have been inseparable. Usually, at dinner, it’s Lily did this or Lily said that.

“I haven’t seen her around this week,” I say.

Asher’s phone buzzes. His thumbs fly, responding.

“Oh, to be young and in love,” I muse. “And unable to go thirty seconds without communicating.”

“I’m texting Dirk. He broke a lace and wants to know if I have extra.”

One of the guys on his hockey team. I have no actual proof, but I’ve always felt like Dirk is the kid who oozes charm whenever he’s in front of me and then, when I’m gone, says something vile, like Your mom is hot, bro.

“Will Lily be at your game on Saturday?” I ask. “She should come over afterward for dinner.”

Asher nods and jams his phone in his pocket. “I have to go.” “You haven’t even finished your cereal—”

“I’m going to be late.”

He takes a long last swallow of coffee, slides his backpack over his

shoulder, and grabs his car keys from the bowl on the kitchen counter. He drives a 1988 Jeep he bought with the salary he made as a counselor at hockey camp.

“Take a coat!” I call, as he is walking out the door. “It’s—”

His breath fogs in the air; he slides behind the steering wheel and turns the ignition.

“Snowing,” I finish.

DECEMBER IS WHEN beekeepers catch their breath. The fall is a flurry of activity, starting with the honey harvest, then managing mite loads, and getting the bees ready to survive a New Hampshire winter. This involves mixing up a heavy sugar syrup that gets poured into a hive top feeder, then wrapping the entire hive for insulation before the first cold snap. The bees conserve their energy in the winter, and so should the apiarist.

I’ve never been very good with downtime.

There’s snow on the ground, and that’s enough to send me up to the attic to find the box of Christmas decorations. They’re the same ones my mother used when I was little—ceramic snowmen for the kitchen table; electric candles to set in each window at night, a string of lights for the mantel. There’s a second box, too, with our stockings and the ornaments for the tree, but it’s tradition that Asher and I hang those together. Maybe this weekend we will cut down our tree. We could do it after his game on Saturday, with Lily.

I’m not ready to lose him.

The thought stops me in my tracks. Even if we do not invite Lily to come choose a tree with us—to decorate it as he tells her the story behind the stick reindeer ornament he made in preschool or the impossibly tiny baby shoes, both his and mine, that we always hang on the uppermost branches—soon another will join our party of two. It is what I want most for Asher—the relationship I don’t have. I know that love isn’t a zero-sum game, but I’m selfish enough to hope he’s all mine for a little while longer.

I lug the first box down the attic stairs, hearing Asher’s voice in my head: Why didn’t you wait? I could have carried it down for you. Glancing through the open door of his bedroom, I roll my eyes at his unmade bed. It drives me crazy that he does not tuck in his sheets; it drives him just as crazy to do it, when he knows he’s just going to crawl back in in a few hours. With a sigh, I put the box down and walk into Asher’s room. I yank the sheets up, straightening his covers. As I do, a book falls to the floor.

It’s a blank journal, in which Asher has sketched in colored pencil. There’s a bee, hovering above an apple blossom, so close that you can see the working mandible and the pollen caught on her legs. There’s my old truck, a 1960 powder-blue Ford that belonged to my father.

Asher has always had this softer side, I love him all the more for it. It was clear when he was little that he had artistic talent, and once I even enrolled him in a painting class, but his hockey friends found out. When he messed up doing a passing drill, one of them said he should maybe stop holding his stick like Bob Ross held a brush, and he dropped art. Now, when he draws, it’s in private. He never shows me his work. But we’ve also gotten college brochures in the mail from RISD and SCAD, and I wasn’t the one to request them.

I flip the next few pages. There is one drawing that is clearly me, although he’s captured me from behind, as I stand at the sink. I look tired, worn. Is that what he thinks of me? I wonder.

A chipmunk, eyes bright with challenge. A stone wall. A girl— Lily?—with her arm thrown over her eyes, lying on a bed of leaves, naked from the waist up.

Immediately, I drop the book like it’s burning. I press my palms against my cheeks.

It’s not like I didn’t think he was intimate with his girlfriend; but then again, it’s not like we talked about it, either. At one point, when he started high school, I proactively started buying condoms and leaving them very matter-of-factly with the usual pharmacy haul of deodorant and razor blades and shampoo. Asher loves Lily—even if he hasn’t told me this directly, I see it in the way he lights up when she sits down beside him, how he checks her seatbelt when she gets into his car.

After a minute, I mess up Asher’s sheets and comforter again. I tuck the journal under a fold of the linens, pick up the pair of socks, and close the door of the bedroom behind me

I hoist the Christmas box into my arms again, thinking two things: that memories are so heavy; and that my son is entitled to his secrets.

BEEKEEPING IS THE world’s second-oldest profession. The first apiarists were the ancient Egyptians. Bees were royal symbols, the tears of Re, the sun god.

In Greek mythology, Aristaeus, the god of beekeeping, was taught by nymphs to tend bees. He fell in love with Orpheus’s wife, Eurydice. When she was dodging his advances, she stepped on a snake and died. Orpheus went to hell itself to bring her back, and Eurydice’s nymph sisters punished Aristaeus by killing all his bees.

The Bible promises a land of milk and honey. The Koran says paradise has rivers of honey for those who guard against evil. Krishna, the Hindu deity, is often shown with a blue bee on his forehead. The bee itself is considered a symbol of Christ: the sting of justice and the mercy of honey, side by side.

The first voodoo dolls were molded from beeswax; an oungan might tell you to smear honey on a person to keep ghosts at bay; a manbo would make little cakes of honey, amaranth, and whiskey, which, eaten before the new moon, could show you your future.

I sometimes wonder which of my prehistoric ancestors first stuck his arm into a hole in a tree. Did he come out with a handful of honey, or a fistful of stings? Is the promise of one worth the risk of the other?

WHEN THE INSIDE of the house is draped with its holiday jewelry, I pull on my winter boots and a parka and hike through the acreage of the property to gather evergreen boughs. This requires me to skate the edges of the fields with the few apple trees that still belong to my family. Against the frosty ground, they look insidious and witchy, their gnarled arms reaching, the wind whispering in the voice of dead leaves, Closer, closer. Asher used to climb them; once, he got so high that I had to call the fire department to pull him down, as if he were a cat. I swing my handsaw as I slip into the woods behind the orchard, twigs crunching underneath my footsteps. There are only so many trees whose feathered limbs I can reach; most are higher than I can reach on my tiptoes, but there’s satisfaction in gathering what I can. The pile of pine and spruce and fir grows, and it takes me three trips to bring it all back across the orchard fields to the porch of the farmhouse.

By the time I’ve got my raw materials—the branches and a spool of florist wire—my cheeks are flushed and bright and the tips of my ears are numb. I lay out the evergreens on the porch floor, trimming them with clippers, doubling and tripling the boughs so that they are thick. In the Christmas box I carried down earlier is a long rope of lights that I’ll weave through my garland when this step is finished; then I can affix the greenery around the frame of the front door.

I am not sure what it is that makes me think something is watching me.

All the hair stands up on the back of my neck, and I turn slowly toward the barren strawberry fields.

In the snow, they look like a swath of white cotton. This late in the year, the back of the field is wreathed in shadow. In the summertime, we get raccoons and deer going after the strawberries; from time to time there’s a coyote. When it’s nearly winter, though, the predators have mostly squirreled themselves away in their dens—

I take off at a dead run for my beehives.

Before I even reach the electric fence that surrounds them, the smell of bananas is pungent—the surest sign of bees that are pissed off. Four hives are sturdy and quiet, hunkered tight within their insulation. But the box all the way to the right has been ripped to splinters. I name all my queen bees after female divas: Adele, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Whitney, and Mariah. Taylor, Britney, Miley, Aretha, and Ariana are in the apple orchard; on other contracts I have Sia, Dionne, Cher, and Katy. The hive that has been attacked is Celine’s.

One side of the electric fence has been barreled through, trampled. Struts of wood from the hive are scattered all over the snowy ground; hunks of Styrofoam have been clawed to shreds. I stumble over a piece of broken honeycomb with a bear print in it.

I narrow my eyes at the dark line where the field turns into forest, but the bear is already gone. The bees would have killed themselves, literally, to get rid of their attacker—stinging until it lumbered away.

It’s not the first time I have had a bear attack a hive, but it’s the latest it has ever happened in the beekeeping season.

I walk toward the brush near the edge of the field, trying to find any remaining bees that might not have frozen. A small knot seethes and drips, dark as molasses, on the bare crotch of a sugar maple. I cannot see Celine, but if the bees have absconded there is a chance she is with them.

Sometimes, in the spring, bees swarm. You might find them like this, in the bivouac stage—the temporary site before they fly off to whatever they’ve decided should be their new home.

When bees swarm in the spring, it’s because they’ve run out of space in the hive.

When bees swarm in the spring, they’re full of honey and happy and calm.

When bees swarm in the spring, you can often recapture them, and set them up in a new box, where they have enough room for their brood cells and pollen and honey.

This is not a swarm. These bees are angry and these bees are desperate.

“Stay,” I beg, and then I run back to the farmhouse as fast as I can.

It takes me three trips, each a half mile across the fields, skidding on the dusting of snow. I have to haul out a new wooden base and an empty hive from a colony that failed last year, into which I will try to divert the bees; I have to grab my bee kit from the basement, where I’ve stored it for the winter—my smoker and hive tool, some wire and a bee brush, my hat and veil and gloves. I am sweating by the time I am finished, my hands shaking and sausage-fingered from the cold. Clumsily, I grab the few frames that can be salvaged from the bear’s attack and set them into the brood box. I sew some of the newly broken comb onto the frames with wire, hoping that the bees will be attracted back to the familiar. When the new box is set up, I walk toward the sugar maple.

The light is so low now, because dusk comes early. I see the motion of the bees more than their actual writhing outline. If Asher were here, I could have him hold the brood box directly below the branch while I scoop the bees into it, but I’m alone.

It takes several tries for me to light a curl of birch bark to ignite my smoker; there’s just enough wind to make it difficult. Finally, a red ember sparks, and I drop it into the little metal pot, onto a handful of wood shavings. Smoke pipes out of the narrow neck as I pump the bellows a few times. I give a few puffs near the bees; it dulls their senses and takes the aggressive edge off.

I pull on my hat and veil and lift the same handsaw I used on the evergreen boughs. The branch is about six inches too high for me to reach. Cursing, I lug the broken wooden base of the old frame underneath the tree and try to gingerly balance on what’s left of it. The odds are about equal that I will either manage to saw down the branch or break my ankle. I nearly sob with relief when the branch is free, and carry it slowly and gently to the new hive. I give it a sharp jerk, watching the bees rain down into the box. I do this again, praying that the queen is one of them.

If it were warmer, I’d know for sure. A few bees would gather on the landing board with their butts facing out, fanning their wings and nasonoving—spreading pheromones for strays to find their way home. That’s a sign that the hive is queenright. But it’s too cold, and so I pull out each frame, scanning the frenzy of bees. Celine, thank God, is a marked queen—I spy the green painted dot on her long narrow back and pluck her by the wings into a queen catcher, a little plastic contraption that looks like those butterfly clips for hair. The queen catcher will keep her safe for a couple of days while they all get used to the new home. But it also guarantees that the colony won’t abscond. Sometimes, bees just up and leave with their queen if they don’t like their circumstances. If the queen is locked up, they will not leave without her.

I let a puff of smoke roll over the top of the box, again hoping to calm the bees. I try to set the queen catcher between frames of comb, but my fingers are stiff with the cold and keep slipping. When my hand strikes the edge of the wooden box, one of the worker bees sinks her stinger into me.

“Mother fucker .” I gasp, dancing backward from the hive. A cluster of bees follow me, attracted by the scent of the attack. I cradle my palm, tears springing to my eyes.

I tear off my hat and veil, bury my face in my hands. I can take all the best precautions for this queen; I can feed the bees sugar syrup and insulate their new brood box; I can pray as hard as I want—but this colony does not have a chance of surviving the winter.They simply will not have enough time to build up the stores of honey that the bear has robbed.

And yet. I cannot just give up on them.

So I gently set the telescoping cover on the box and lift my bee kit with my good hand. In the other, I hold a snowball against the sting as a remedy. I trudge back to the farmhouse. Tomorrow, I’ll give them the kindness of extra food in a hive-top feeder and I’ll wrap the new box, but it’s hospice care. There are some trajectories you cannot change, no matter what you do.

Back home, I am so absorbed in icing my throbbing palm that I don’t notice it’s long past dinnertime, and Asher isn’t home.

THE FIRST TIME it happened, it was over a password.

I had only just signed up for FaceBook, mostly so that I could see pictures of my brother, Jordan, and his wife, Selena. Braden and I were living in a brownstone on Mass Ave while he did his Mass General fellowship in cardiac surgery. Most of our furniture had come from yard sales in the suburbs that we would drive to on weekends. One of our best finds came from an old lady who was moving to an assisted living community. She was selling an antique rolltop desk with claw-feet (I said it was a gryphon; Braden said eagle). It was clearly an antique, but someone had stripped it of its original finish, so it wasn’t worth much, and more to the point, we could afford it. It wasn’t until we got it home that we realized it had a secret compartment—a narrow little sliver between the wooden drawers that was intended to look decorative, but pulled loose to reveal a spot where documents and papers could be hidden. I was delighted, naturally, hoping for the combination to an old safe full of gold bullion or a torrid love letter, but the only thing we found inside was a paper clip. I had pretty much forgotten about its existence when I had to choose a password for FaceBook, and find a place to store it for when I inevitably forgot what I’d picked. What better place than in the secret compartment?

We had initially bought the antique desk so that Braden could study at it, but when we realized that his laptop was too deep for the space, it became decorative, tucked in an empty space at the bottom of the stairs. We kept our car keys there, and my purse, and an occasional plant I hadn’t yet murdered. Which is why I was so surprised to find Braden sitting in front of it one evening, fiddling with the hidden compartment.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

He reached inside and triumphantly pulled out the piece of paper. “Seeing what secrets you keep from me,” he said.

It was so ridiculous I laughed. “I’m an open book,” I told him, but I took the paper out of his hand.

His eyebrows raised. “What’s on there?” “My FaceBook password.”

“So what?”

“So,” I said, “it’s mine.”

Braden frowned. “If you had nothing to hide, you’d show it to me.”

“What do you think I’m doing on FaceBook?” I said, incredulous. “You tell me,” Braden replied.

I rolled my eyes. But before I could say anything, his hand shot

out for the paper.

PEPPER70. That’s what it said. The name of my first dog and my birth year. Blatantly uninspired; something he could have figured out on his own. But the principle of the whole stupid argument kicked in, and I yanked the page away before he could snatch it.

That’s when it changed—the tone, the atmosphere. The air went still between us, and his pupils dilated. He reached out, striking like a snake, and grabbed my wrist.

On instinct, I pulled back and darted up the stairs. Thunder, him running behind me. My name twisted on his lips. It was silly; it was stupid; it was a game. But it didn’t feel like one, not the way my heart was hammering.

As soon as I made it to our bedroom I slammed the door shut. Leaning my forehead against it, I tried to catch my breath.

Braden shouldered it open so hard that the frame splintered.

I didn’t realize what had happened until my vision went white and I felt a hammer between my eyes. I touched my nose and my fingers came away red with blood.

“Oh my God,” Braden murmured. “Oh my God, Liv. Jesus.” He disappeared for a moment and then he was holding a hand towel to my face, guiding me to sit on the bed, stroking my hair.

“I think it’s broken,” I choked out.

“Let me look,” he demanded. He gently peeled away the bloody cloth and with a surgeon’s tender hands touched the ridge of my brow, the bone beneath my eyes. “I don’t think so,” he said, his voice frayed.

Braden cleaned me up as if I were made of glass and then he brought me an ice pack. By then, the stabbing pain was gone. I ached, and my nose was stuffy. “My fingers are too cold,” I said, dropping the ice, and he picked it up and gently held it against me. I realized his hands were trembling and that he couldn’t look me in the eye.

Seeing him so shaken hurt even more than my injury.

So I covered his hand with mine, trying to comfort. “I shouldn’t have been standing so close to the door,” I murmured.

Finally, Braden looked at me, and nodded slowly. “No. You shouldn’t have.”

I HAVE SENT a half dozen texts to Asher, who hasn’t written back. Each one is a little angrier. For someone who seemingly has no trouble interrupting his life to text his girlfriend and Dirk, he has selective communication skills when he wants to. Most likely he was invited to eat dinner somewhere and didn’t bother to tell me.

I decide that as punishment, I will make him clean up the evergreens still strewn across the porch, since my bee-stung hand hurts too much for me to finish stringing the garland.

On the kitchen table is a small bundle of newspaper, which I carefully unwrap. It was placed in the decoration box by mistake, but it belongs in the one with our Christmas ornaments. It’s my favorite—a hand-blown glass bulb in swirls of blue and white, with a drippy curl of frozen glass at the top through which a wire has been threaded for hanging. Asher made it for me when he was six, after we left Braden behind in Boston, and I got a divorce. I had a booth at a county fair that fall, selling honey and beeswax products, and an artisanal glassblower befriended Asher and invited him to watch her in her workshop. Unbeknownst to me, she helped him make an ornament for me as a gift. I loved it, but what made it truly magical was that it was a time capsule. Frozen in that delicate globe was Asher’s childhood breath. No matter how old he was or how big he grew, I would always have that.

Just then my cellphone rings.

Asher. If he’s not texting, he knows he’s in trouble.

“You better have a good excuse,” I begin, but he cuts me off. “Mom, I need you,” Asher says. “I’m at the police station.” Words scramble up the ladder of my throat. “What? Are you all right?”

“I ...I’m ...no.”

I look down at the ornament in my hand, this piece of the past. “Mom,” Asher says, his voice breaking. “I think Lily’s dead.”

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Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan (Book Review)

by Barbara the Bibliophage | Sep 25, 2022 | RELAX: Other Relaxation | 0 comments

Mad Honey is a compulsively readable novel by two of my favorite authors, Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan . It’s about two single moms in small-town Adams, New Hampshire, and their high school-age kids. Olivia is a beekeeper and entrepreneur. Her son Asher is the school’s hockey team captain and an artist. Ava is a forest ranger researching lynx. Her daughter Lily is a cellist and fencer.

Being the new kid in town isn’t unique for Lily since she and Ava have moved a couple of times in the last few years. Lily and Asher meet through friends and soon start dating. It’s not a spoiler to say that Lily dies unexpectedly—it’s in the publisher blurb. The tale of Mad Honey is what happens when Asher is accused of killing her. Picoult and Finney Boylan spin a compelling yarn with well-formed characters and topics tied to real-life issues.

Finney Boylan and Picoult use two voices to tell the story, Olivia’s and Lily’s. Everything we learn about Asher and Ava is through their eyes. The authors also move the timeline back and forth, which pulls the curtain back slowly. The suspense is worth it. Their conclusion is a satisfying resolution of a complex situation.

My conclusions

A central theme of Mad Honey is reinvention. Olivia grew up as a small-town kid but married an accomplished Boston surgeon. She returns to her hometown to heal from unexpected troubles when the marriage goes sour. As Olivia copes with Asher’s situation, we learn more about her life and her fears for her son. Picoult also teaches readers about Olivia’s beekeeping career. Bee-related analogies abound here since hives are much like small towns and high schools.

While she is younger than Olivia, Lily’s no stranger to reinvention. She and Ava also flee a complicated marital situation. But her story is more profound than Olivia’s and just as dark. Her tragic end is heartbreaking, especially because she seems to find true love with Asher.

Picoult and Finney Boylan explore relationships and parenting styles along with identities. There’s plenty of food for thought woven through the suspenseful plot. They seamlessly blend their writing styles. I was so involved with the story that I rarely thought about who wrote what. Still, Lily’s story deserves Finney Boylan’s perspective and wisdom.

Overall, Mad Honey is just what I want in a novel. It delivers insights into relationships, personalities, and life experiences with a healthy dose of suspense. Brava to both authors!

Acknowledgments

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Books, and the authors for a digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for this honest review. The expected publication date for this book is Tuesday, October 4, 2022.

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Mad Honey Summary, Characters, Review and Themes

In “Mad Honey,” a gripping novel co-authored by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan, readers are plunged into a compelling narrative that intertwines themes of love, identity, and the haunting specter of violence.

Set against the backdrop of a small New Hampshire town, this story unfolds through the eyes of two protagonists: Olivia McAfee and Lily Campanello, each bearing their own deep-seated struggles and secrets.

At the heart of “Mad Honey” is the mysterious death of Lily Campanello, an 18-year-old girl whose life comes to a sudden, tragic end.

Born Liam O’Meara, Lily is a trans girl who has bravely navigated her journey of self-discovery and acceptance. After a harrowing experience with her abusive father and a devastating public humiliation at a school dance, Lily and her supportive mother, Ava, relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, seeking a fresh start.

In Adams, Lily’s life becomes intertwined with Asher Fields, a kind-hearted teenager with his own troubled past. Asher, raised by his mother Olivia, an apiarist, has a history shadowed by his father’s abusive behavior. As Lily and Asher’s romance blossoms, secrets loom large.

Lily, still grappling with her past traumas, withholds her transgender identity from Asher, fearing rejection and heartache.

Parallel to Lily’s story is that of Olivia McAfee, Asher’s mother. Olivia, having endured an abusive marriage, sees echoes of her ex-husband in Asher. When Lily’s death occurs, and Asher is implicated, Olivia is torn between her maternal instincts and the haunting doubts about her son’s innocence.

The ensuing trial becomes a crucible for all involved.

Asher’s arrest and subsequent trial for Lily’s murder bring to light painful truths and hidden aspects of each character’s life.

The revelation of Lily’s gender identity shocks the courtroom, adding layers of complexity to the case. Asher’s defense hinges on challenging the assumptions about Lily’s death, leading to a startling discovery about her medical condition.

In a dramatic twist, it’s revealed that Maya Banerjee, Asher’s lifelong friend and secretly in love with him, inadvertently caused Lily’s death during a heated argument.

This revelation, while exonerating Asher, adds a poignant layer to the narrative, exploring themes of unrequited love and the tragic consequences of impulsive actions.

As the story concludes, the characters grapple with their grief and the repercussions of Lily’s death.

Asher heads to college, carrying the weight of these events, while Ava leaves Adams with a token of hope from Olivia.

In the end, “Mad Honey” leaves readers reflecting on the complexities of human emotions, the resilience in the face of adversity, and the enduring power of love and acceptance.

1. Olivia McAfee

The Resilient Protector

Olivia, a single mother and dedicated apiarist, stands as a symbol of resilience and protective love.

Escaping an abusive marriage, she becomes a fiercely devoted mother to Asher, constantly battling her fears of the past repeating itself. Olivia’s journey is marked by a delicate balance between her haunting memories and her unwavering commitment to her son.

Her character provides a profound insight into the struggles of a mother torn between past traumas and the deep love for her child.

2. Lily Campanello

The Brave Heart

Lily’s narrative is a poignant portrayal of courage and vulnerability.

As a transgender girl grappling with her identity, Lily’s life is a testament to the trials and triumphs of living one’s truth in the face of adversity. Her journey from a turbulent childhood to finding love with Asher highlights her resilience.

Lily’s character is a beacon of hope and strength, demonstrating the power of acceptance and love in overcoming life’s harshest challenges.

3. Asher Fields

The Sensitive Soul

Asher, Olivia’s son, emerges as a character of deep sensitivity and complexity. His life is intricately woven with the desire for acceptance and understanding, particularly in his relationship with his father.

Asher’s love for Lily showcases his capacity for deep empathy and acceptance.

Yet, his struggle with his familial legacy and the fear of inheriting his father’s abusive tendencies adds a layer of profound introspection to his character.

4. Ava Campanello

The Unwavering Supporter

Ava, Lily’s mother, is the epitome of unconditional love and support. Her journey mirrors that of Olivia’s, yet with a unique perspective shaped by her daughter’s transgender identity.

Ava’s character underlines the challenges and beauty of a parent’s journey alongside their child’s transition.

Her love for Lily is a powerful force, guiding her through every hardship and illuminating the strength of a mother’s love in the face of societal and personal challenges.

I have to say that this book is a beautifully intricate, heart-wrenching, and ultimately thought-provoking novel that explores profound themes of identity, love, betrayal, and the tragic consequences of society’s prejudices.

With a narrative style that transitions between the perspectives of Olivia and Lily, Picoult skillfully creates an intricate and suspenseful narrative, presenting a tragic story that unfolds slowly, drawing us deeper into the lives of the characters.

Lily, the trans protagonist, and her emotionally complex journey are crafted with a high degree of sensitivity and empathy. Picoult’s detailed exploration of Lily’s transition process, the struggles she faces, and her attempt to navigate love and acceptance is something that definitely touched my heart.

Lily’s relationship with Asher, fraught with the complexity of secrets and acceptance, adds a significant dimension to the narrative, embodying a powerful examination of love, trust, and the courage to be one’s authentic self.

Meanwhile, Olivia, with her relentless determination to protect her son, provides a counter-narrative that captures the heartrending struggle of a mother caught between her love for her child and the harsh realities of the world.

Her storyline is interspersed with interesting details about her life as an apiarist, which serve as poetic metaphors for the novel’s thematic undercurrents.

Additionally, Picoult masterfully addresses the deep-seated prejudices that LGBTQ+ individuals often face.

She does not shy away from the ugly truths, offering an unflinching portrayal of the injustices and cruelty directed towards Lily and the disastrous consequences that result from it.

Coming to the latter stages of the novel, the courtroom drama provides us with a solid grip of the plot.

The legal complexities, combined with the heart-stopping revelations and the unexpected plot twists, make for a compelling read.

The careful weaving of medical nuances related to Lily’s condition into the narrative is commendable, providing a surprising twist that redefines the circumstances of Lily’s death.

However, the novel isn’t without its flaws.

Some of you might find it challenging to reconcile with the occasional outbursts of violence from Asher. While his character is clearly meant to reflect the cycle of abuse, these instances can be unsettling and may distract from the broader narrative.

Despite this, “Mad Honey” remains a thought-provoking read that explores uncomfortable truths about our society.

It successfully humanizes the experiences of trans individuals, portraying their struggles in a manner that is compassionate and empathetic.

Picoult’s poignant storytelling, combined with the book’s exploration of love, acceptance, and the price of prejudice, makes “Mad Honey” a significant contribution to contemporary literature.

To sum up, if you are looking for a book that isn’t afraid to delve deep into the human psyche, unearthing our most potent emotions of love, hatred, acceptance, and prejudice, “Mad Honey” is the book for you.

However, it’s essential to approach it with an open mind, ready to confront the harsh realities it presents.

This is a book that challenges as much as it entertains, and therein lies its power.

1. The Complexities of Identity and Self-Acceptance

Central to the novel is the challenging journey of Lily Campanello, born Liam O’Meara, as she navigates the turbulent waters of her transgender identity.

The novel explores the nuances of gender expression and the profound struggles faced by transgender individuals in a society often marked by misunderstanding and prejudice.

Through Lily’s experiences, the story poignantly addresses the internal conflicts of self-acceptance and the external battles for acceptance in the community.

The theme extends to other characters as well, each grappling with their own sense of identity, be it as a parent, a lover, or a friend, highlighting the universal quest for understanding and acceptance of one’s true self.

2. The Cycle of Abuse and Its Ripple Effects

Mad Honey delves into the harrowing impacts of domestic violence and abuse, not only on direct victims but also on those around them.

Through the characters of Olivia McAfee and her son Asher, the novel examines how the cycle of abuse can perpetuate through generations. Olivia’s experiences with an abusive ex-husband and her fears of seeing similar traits in Asher underscore the lasting psychological scars left by domestic violence.

The novel also explores the broader societal implications of this cycle, prompting readers to consider how patterns of abuse can be recognized, confronted, and hopefully broken.

3. The Intricacies of Love and Relationships

At its core, “Mad Honey” is a profound exploration of love in its many forms – romantic, familial, and platonic. The novel scrutinizes the complexities of relationships, particularly focusing on the romance between Lily and Asher, which is marked by secrets, vulnerabilities, and societal pressures.

The challenges they face in their relationship, compounded by the struggles with their individual identities and pasts, paint a vivid picture of the difficulties in maintaining love amidst personal and external conflicts.

Additionally, the story reflects on parental love and the often painful decisions parents must make for the well-being of their children, as seen through the characters of Olivia and Ava, each battling their own dilemmas in protecting their children.

Spoiler Discussion for Mad Honey

Have you read Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan and want to discuss the case and the ending? You have come to the right place: my Spoiler Discussion for Mad Honey.

Here’s the table of contents for this post.

Plot Summary for Mad Honey

What was the ending of mad honey, who killed lily in mad honey.

Olivia is a divorced mom who left her husband and moved with her son to New Hampshire to live in her childhood home. She also inherited her father’s bee colony.

Olivia’s son Asher is a high school student who has been dating his girlfriend Lily for three months. Asher decides to surprise Lily by arranging a meeting with her estranged father. She is angry and they argue.

Lily stays home sick for three days and Asher decides to come visit her. He finds her front door open and Lily lying in a pool of blood at the bottom of the stairs.

Lily’s mom arrives home and finds Asher crading her injured daughter. She calls 911. Lily is taken to the hospital and Asher is taken to the police station. The police call Olivia and she comes to listen to him tell his story. They learn that Lily could not be saved.

At Lily’s memorial, Olivia expresses her condolences to Lily’s mom, who clearly blames Asher for her daughter’s death.

In a flashback, Asher suggests that he and Lily visit his father Braden and his new family. Lily’s friend Maya warns her against it. After they arrive, Asher immediately wants to leave.

Afterwards, Lily admits that her own father abused her.

In the present, the police come to arrest Asher for Lily’s murder.

Olivia has called her brother Jordan, who happens to be a prominent defense attorney. Fortunately, he’s one of the most famous defense attorneys New Hampshire has ever had.

Asher is arraigned. Lily does not want to tell her ex-husband Braden that Asher is in jail, so she plans to the house up as collateral for Asher’s bail.

Olivia and Jordan go to speak with Asher in jail.

Flashback to Lily’s POV. Lily’s found her love of music while recovering from a suicide attempt.

Jordan questions Asher about his relationship with Lily. Though Asher told the police he wasn’t in Lily’s room, his hair and fingerprints were there. Asher admits to sneaking in the window multiple times and spending the night with her.

Olivia is clearly worried that Asher might have violent tendencies like his father. She remembers a time recently when Asher punched a wall. Olivia also recalls that her ex-husband Braden also pushed her down the stairs.

After Asher attempts suicide in jail, Olivia reluctantly goes to her ex and asks for money. Asher is released on bail.

The trial begins. After a question about why Lily’s autopsy didn’t mention her female reproductive organs, the coroner drops a bombshell: Lily was a trans woman.

Flashback to Lily finally gathering the courage to tell Asher why she pulled away after they had sex for the first time: she’s trans. After she tells Asher, he is shocked and leaves. Lily feels rejected and deeply upset.

Back in the courtroom, after the revelation about Lily, something neither the prosecution nor the defense knew, the judge dismisses court for the day.

Jordan is worried that the revelation offers even more motive for Asher to have killed Lily.

Asher starts to tell Jordan that he did know Lily was trans before her murder. Jordan stops him. He tells Asher that it’s better if they pretend he didn’t know.

Olivia runs into Lily‘s mother Ava in the bathroom. Ava is still very cool to her.

Flashback to Lily going with Asher to meet his dad, which he’s secretly been doing.

Afterwards Asher asked Lily what she thinks of his dad and she says she didn’t like him. She points out that he’s never met his half-siblings Asher gets angry and starts driving really fast.

Lily recalls what preceded her suicide attempt: at her old school, she confided in one friend that she was trans and was badly bullied. Jonah, her ex, didn’t defend her.

Asher tells her he’s afraid of being like his father.

Lily recalls the fencing match where Asher grabbed her arm. She had just run into her ex, Jonah and was upset. Asher saw Lily and Jonah was jealous of the two of them. Asher grabbed Lily’s arm, leaving bruises.

Olivia testifies and drops a bombshell of her own: she was married to an abuser and she’d know if Asher were one.

Then Asher insists on testifying and tells the court that he knew Lily was trans and didn’t care.

After court is dismissed Olivia notices bruises on Jordan’s wife Selena.

Selena explains the bruising is because because she’s been taking estrogen after her hysterectomy for endometriosis. The estrogen makes her bruise easily.

Selena wonders if maybe that’s why Lily was bruised: because she was taking estrogen as part of her hormone therapy.

Jordan finds a forensic pathologist to examine Lily’s file and testify.

The forensic pathologist believes that Lily was suffering from a blood disorder called TTP ( thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura ). TPP is a rare disorder which can be either genetic or aquired. In the latter, it can be caused by pregnancy or hormone therapy. The disorder can cause bruising, fever, dizziness, and seizures, offering an alternate explanation not only for Lily’s symptoms, but for the injuries that caused her death.

After the trial, Asher’s friend Maya shows up at Asher and Olivia’s house. She admits being with Lily the day she died. Maya was in love with Asher. She had accepted the fact that Asher didn’t love her back, but she didn’t think Lily was right for him.

She argued with Lily that day, begging Lily to let Asher go for his own good. There was a scuffle over Lily’s phone and Lily fell down the stairs.

There’s so much to discuss in this one!

I am cisgender and while I support the right of every person to live as their most authentic self, I have no personal experience with gender transition, so I will not weigh in on that aspect of the book, but if anyone else wants to do that in comments, I welcome it.

Here are some of my thoughts and questions about some other issues of the book:

What was your favorite part of the book?

For me, it was Lily’s narration. I loved her as a character and got very invested in her story in the past. For me, just reading about her struggles and hopes and dreams was much more moving than the sometimes info-dumpy explanations of gender identity, like when the surgeon testified.

What is Mad Honey?

As the book explains it, mad honey comes from bees that forage from rhododendron and mountain laurel. Eating is results in dizziness, nausea, and vomiting, and convulsions. Symptoms last for twenty-four hours and can (rarely) be fatal. Who knew?

What role did the bees play in Mad Honey?

The bees were a passion that Olivia threw herself into upon leaving her husband. She was incredibly obsessed with the bees.

I love a thematic book. While I really did like all the bee information, there was definitely a point when I got bee overload and felt it was taking over the book. I didn’t feel like this was supposed to be Olivia’s story, but she kept bossily trying to take it over. By the end, she came off to me like a boring person at a cocktail party who just wants to talk about one thing (bees, bees, and more bees.)

What do you think Mad Honey as a mystery?

To me, this didn’t read like a mystery. Yes, there was suspense as I waited for the trial’s outcome, but there was no real investigation into Lily’s death, not much evidence discussed, and no real suspects besides Asher.

In her acknowledgments, Picoult says, “I chose to have Olivia be an abused wife because I wanted to underscore that violence agains women is real and horrific, but it is not a reason to dismiss trans rights.”

It seemed to me that the point of having Asher’s father be an abuser was suggest that violent tendencies are biological and inborn, and to make us think that Asher had these tendencies too.

At the end of the book, Olivia decide that no, Asher is like her. Because he believes in love.

But is he like Olivia? He grabbed Lily’s arm so that it hurt and punched a wall in anger. He gets angry when Lily tells him she doesn’t like his father.

And does Olivia really believe in love? To me, she only believes in bees. (I was not the biggest fan of Olivia if that wasn’t obvious.)

What did you think of the ending of the book?

First, we are led to believe that Lily’s death was just a tragic accident.

Then, in the last few pages, Maya confesses that she did it. Why didn’t she either say something sooner, or say nothing at all? Confessing after the trial was over was the most bizarre possible choice.

Was the TTP all a ruse on Jordan’s part to create reasonable doubt, something he says over and over through the book?

Is this justice for Lily? I wanted more for poor Lily. Everyone just moves on, except her mom Ava, and my heart really broke for her.

What point was Mad Honey trying to make at the end?

Lily wasn’t killed for being trans, or even by a rare side-effect of her medication. She was killed by a jealous girl.

I believe that Asher thought he loved Lily, but did he really? To me, he seemed to have a lot of his father’s tendencies of being charming and then angry.

Then Olivia, who really only cares about bees, suddenly has a boyfriend who’s secretly been in love with her forever. What? I agree with what Jennifer Finney Boylan said (in the acknowledgments): if anyone needed a boyfriend it was Ava. Olivia had her bees.

Thanks for reading my Spoiler Discussion for Mad Honey!

That is my take: more Lily, less Olivia. Some bee talk, but not so much. I wish there had been more of Ava. And I’m not sure about this ending. But what did YOU think? I hope you’ll tell me in the comments!

NOTE: due to the subject matter, I have had to edit some sexually explicit language out of a few comments. I’m sorry about this, but my hard work is funded by advertising. Advertisers do NOT like words like murder (I’m doomed lol) or explicit language. I am not trying to censor anyone, just to keep comments PG-rated. If you prefer I delete your comment rather than edit it, please re-comment and let me know. I have tried hard to keep the spirit of the original comment while still keeping it ad-friendly.

Looking for more Spoiler Discussion Posts? Check out my Armchair Book Club home page OR an alphabetical list of all my spoiler discussions.

Thank you for taking the time to write this post. This book was thought provoking and heartbreaking. My heart broke Olivia, Asher, Ava and Lily. Especially Ava and Lily. I lost my son six months ago as a result of an accident and I can identify with Ava and losing Lily so suddenly and unexpectedly. My heart breaks for Lily and for the years she had to hide her self from the world – how lonely and isolating she must have felt. And just when Lily seems to find happiness, it’s suddenly over and my heart aches for everything which will never be for Lily. I’d like to ask your opinion of the introductory quote from Kierkegaard and how you feel it applies to the book.

Anne, I am so terribly sorry about your son. I can’t even imagine what you and your family have been going through and will keep you in my thoughts. My heart also broke for Ava – I wish she had been more a part of the story.

I did really like the book but the more I think about it, the more I dislike the fact that Olivia is the lens through which we see much of the story. To Olivia, Ava is an enemy, someone who blames Asher for what happened. But what Olivia (and we) don’t know right away is how much Ava and Lily have been through.

I also wonder about the reveal of Lily being trans as a twist/reveal and I’ve also been thinking about what the book had been like if that information hadn’t been revealed in that way to Olivia, the courtroom, and the reader.

As for the quote (“life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards”), being a middle-aged person who feels like I am looking both forward and back, I like it. But I feel the way the quote applies to the story once again centers my least favorite character Olivia, and her looking back on her life, her choices and the way they might have affected her son. Does Olivia have any regret? She is SO obsessed with those bees I feel like she misses most things going on around her.

Lily is too young to have any chance of the quote applying to her. Same with Asher. Ava isn’t really part of the story. So it has to be Olivia’s quote I think.

But that’s just my opinion, and I hope others in comments will weigh in.

A few things that really bothered me about Mad Honey. 1)I personally did not like Olivia, actually hated her. What mother leaves her son in jail, when she had the resource to post bail? A mother never puts her own life before her child’s. Even though it meant going to her ex-husband, she should have been there the day after he was arrested. 2)There was no way the police had enough evidence to arrest Asher. He found Lily and there were fingerprints in her bedroom, the rest was speculation. I felt like that made the reader feel stupid, to actual suggest that.

I loved Lily’s story. It sadden me that she did not get to live her life, and my Heart broke for her mother. I enjoyed the story, I enjoyed learning/understanding more of the trans community. I would recommend the book, but far from Jodi Picoult’s early books. They are my favorite.

Thank you Sharon. I felt bad saying I disliked Olivia, but as I was working on this post, I realized that I absolutely could not stand her. I thought it might be my own personal experience with a parent who was not very attentive/lost in their own world and I thought maybe it was just me.

Also, the most on-brand thing Olivia does is at the end. Ava comes to say goodbye and tells Olivia she lost a son but gained a daughter and now she has nothing. That just guts me but what does Olivia do? Hands her a jar of honey.

1) The bail thing confused me. DID she have the resources? The bail is a million dollars and the bondsman tells her she has to put up 100-150,000 and I had no idea that you don’t get that money back.

2) Yes, Asher found her, so he had to be a suspect. Yes, his fingerprints were all over Lily’s room but that’s not weird because they were in a relationship. I’m sure Maya’s fingerprints were there too, and on Lily’s phone. I understand that Asher would be a main suspect, but I also dislike books where the police seem incompetent. Other obvious suspects: Lily’s father, who seemed like a psycho. In fact, I was sure he was the killer. But okay, it was Maya. We know from the book that she and Lily texted each other often. Did they not read Lily’s texts?

I agree with you that reading Lily’s story was an amazing experience and by far my favorite part of the book. I would have liked the book even more if she weren’t a tragic figure who had to end up dead 🙁

I am not sure if you understand what it’s like to be an abused partner and then leave them and even the thought of seeing them or contacting them again is panic inducing. Also, it did mention a restraining order, which could’ve been part of why she didn’t contact her ex right away. (although I doubt it as it’s no issue when he shows up at court) So, even though I wasn’t a big fan of Olivia, I truly understand why she didn’t contact Braden at first just as someone who comes from an abuse background.

Thank you, Ali. I am so sorry for what you went through. I really appreciate you charing your perspective with us and your comment helped me understand Olivia better.

Will we ever return to the immense satisfaction of Jody’s early books?

I have not read all her books but I think most I’ve read were earlier ones. What are your favorites?

I enjoyed the book and LOVED the twist with Maya. However I felt the end was kind of rushed and after the whole trial Asher lived through , nothing at all happens to Maya?!?! He moms were so overprotective of her only to find out she caused Lilly’s death. We needed more there. I liked to see the mothers defending and protecting their children but understanding the pull of doubt Asher’s mom carried and her guilt. Over all I really enjoyed this book. I see how the bees tied into the story so the information didn’t bother me. Just wish the end had as much punch as the rest had.

I completely agree about Maya. That was not at all resolved. What happened was a tragic accident, but for Maya to let her best friend since kindergarten sit in prison and be tried for something she did was pretty horrible.

And you make such a great point that mothers were an important part of the story. The dads in this story were not great, sadly, but that fits in with the Queen Bee theme etc.

I liked the bees at first, I really did. And I love a thematic book. But the bees were used to explain everything and after a while I’d reached my limit!

I felt that exact same way! Most of Jodi Picoult’s other books that I’ve enjoyed have shocking twist endings, that are examined and played out entirely. This ending felt like a lot of the most interesting parts of the story were left out.

I would have loved to examine how Maya lived with the fallout, did she face the same backlash from the town that Asher and Olivia did when he was the prime suspect? What was Ava’s side through all this? A lot of the book was educational which I enjoyed but I feel it came at the expense of the plot.

Just finished Mad Honey and was very disappointing. I feel like Jodi usually makes the last few pages epic but this was a let down that Maya was responsible. Just my opinion

You aren’t the only one! Were you disappointed with the fact that Maya was responsible for Lily’s death, or was it that you didn’t feel like it was resolved?

I was a little confused. The police and DA are willing to put Asher on trial for Lily’s death when he said he had nothing to do with it, and then Maya admits she’s responsible and they are like, don’t worry about it?

There was a point in the book where someone (Olivia?) said that Lily wasn’t killed for being a trans woman but for being a woman and I guess that’s true but she really died because Maya was jealous and controlling of someone she said was her friend (and also pretty horrible to let someone she said she loved be accused of a crime he didn’t commit and thrown in jail and put on trial).

I don’t feel like justice was served for poor Lily!

I guess the most disappointing thing is Olivia leaving Asher in prison when he could have been spared that experience. Also the investigation was shoddy. Jordan should have been able to secure Asher’s release. But then he didn’t have all the facts.

I agree – I do not even think there wasn’t enough evidence to put him on trial!

I loved the book. I couldn’t sleep worrying about the trial. I never thought he was guilty but was trying to figure it out. – I couldn’t believe it was Maya and still can’t. She seems the type who would have told someone before the trial or when he was put in jail. – I agree the Dad should have put up the ball earlier. How did he not know about it when he lived 2 hours away, Asher hadn’t changed his name and they constantly talked about press from far and wide. – how was Lily mom Ava gone to get Advil so long that Dirk, Maya and Asher beat her home from a one stop light kind of a town. – Dirk made more sense as causing the murder after the inappropriate things he said to Lily. Not that it was intentional, just that he came upstairs and she had to get him out. Again, I loved it. Not my book, I’m not the author so I don’t get to choose

I’m listening to the Audiobook now and plan to finish it but I won’t enjoy it. I don’t care for any characters in this book but most particularly I don’t like Lily! It might be the actress reading her parts that I don’t like; I’m not sure. Maybe it’s a combination of the character and the actress’s interpretation. Anyway, I found the plot thin (agree that there wasn’t enough evidence to arrest Asher) and some inconsistencies (Lily knows everything, including the state capitals but doesn’t know where the White Mountains are!) and repetitive. It’s also predictable. I thought Maya was responsible for Lily’s death and turned to the Internet to confirm…in case I can’t bring myself to finish this book.

Hi Ginevra and thanks for joining the discussion. I read the printed book and absolutely loved Lily’s chapters, but as someone who sometimes listens to audiobooks I understand that the narration is everything. Olivia drove me crazy. No way there was enough evidence to take Asher to trial. I am impressed you suspected Maya. It made no sense, but there you have it.

I agree! I couldn’t finish so had to read spoilers. Why were character witnesses testifying at the trial when they had no knowledge of what happened that day? The police didn’t take fingerprints from the door knob or Lily’s phone? Why didn’t they look for any other suspects? Also, Jordan was the worst attorney! He didn’t want to know anything about the case! If he would’ve let Asher talk he might have had a better defense. And he says at one point, “how are we going to convince 12 people that Asher is innocent”? You don’t have to prove innocence. They only need to convince one juror that there’s reasonable doubt. And why wouldn’t Asher tell his mom to get the bail money from his dad? I also agree that Lily’s knowledge of literally everything became annoying and unbelievable.

I’m 300 pages into this book and also suspected Maya. I also turned to the Internet to confirm but I will finish the book. I’m one of those ppl that can read the last chapter of the book and then read the book from the start. I guess I don’t like suspense. I’m surprised there is so much dislike for Olivia. I’ve been sympathetic to her for having been abused. I also agree that there’s too much about bees.

I am 100% with you on spoilers, which is why I do spoiler posts. Sometimes I just like to know what is going to happen, sometimes I want to see where the book is going and if I want to go there (in this case, not really!)

If you aren’t subscribed to either my weekly newsletter or my monthly mystery and thriller newsletter that is the best way to find out what spoiler posts are up!

I was very sympathetic to Olivia’s past (sorry if that didn’t come across) but I also felt that in the present she was so shut down that she wasn’t a good parent. Even if she was too triggered/afraid to ask her ex for the money, she could have had her brother do it. Her son was counting on her! And innocent!!

I am only a third to a halfway through the book. I would not even be this far if I hadn’t read the spoilers about Lily. There is no way that lily’s condition could have been unknown until after the start of the trial and that lacking makes the book A. less interesting and B. less thought provoking. That said the abusive relationship with the father, both fathers really, does make the book relevant, but the abuse isn’t the story and ends up being a detractor.

I thought Wish You Were Here, and The Book of Two Ways were excellent. This one, though I will finish it, does not do the subject matter or the authors any favors.

Hi JC and welcome! Do you really think people would have known Lily’s secret when the only people she told were Maya and her mother? Now that I read your comment I wonder where she went for her medical care.

I agree that using Lily’s secret as a big reveal felt a little manipulative to me. I was really surprised, though.

As I discuss in the post, I was also not a fan of the trial as a way to create tension, or in the ending. Another commenter made some really insightful comments on the abusive fathers/husbands and I do think that element could have been strengthened and that the book could have just focused on the investigation into Lily’s death, with suspicion thrown on Asher and Lily’s father. How was there an investigation and a trial in such a short time?

I do think Jodi Picoult has written some incredible books but this wasn’t my favorite of hers. One of my favorite things about Picoult’s books is her ability to write completely distinct voices for multiple characters and I felt this was missing in Mad Honey.

I hope you’ll come back for another discussion. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!

The autopsy report would have detailed it. Ava would have mentioned it as a fear for why Asher (or someone else) would have murdered her daughter. It was a secret but I am sure that Ava would have feared that the secret was what resulted in the death.

That said I felt that both stories, the abuse and the trans story, were important they just need to b e in separate books where they don’t get in the way of each other.

Yes, that makes sense. I am not a lawyer but would think that the autopsy report would be released as part of discovery.

I agree with you 1000% that these storylines would have had more breathing room in two different books. One was Olivia’s story and one was Lily’s and I do think that they sort of got in the way of each other.

Hope you will consider coming back for another discussion. I have a monthly mystery and thriller newsletter if you read those and a weekly email that updates on what I’m reading and reviewing. You can subscribe here!

I thought there would be a slip of the delusionary revelation associated with mad honey, the real hallucinogenic from Nepal, but I’ve been reading too much poetry.

It is an ignorant police procedural.

And an ignorant trans journal.

The trans woman is in high school, her boyfriend doesn’t notice her sculpted [edited: body parts] (there’s honey in reference to intimate play/scars ? The need for moisture preparation or lack of periods? He draws her nude.

I’m interested in her mom Ava… giving a little boy hormone therapy before puberty onset, what state did they have to flee from? Why did Lily attempt suicide? Trans regret?

I hadn’t thought about the title, so thanks for pointing that out! As for Asher, idk, I feel like teenage boys can be dense. And I assumed Lily’s distress was from the bullying.

Oh, yes. She had, and they had sex. And there was a reference when helping with the honey hives when lily’s fingers were sticky … so apparently really close intimacy. Did he not notice scars? The scars even thin would be there. I’ve seen plastic surgery on women for a tummy tuck to capture the silhouette, but at a water park, the bikini gets wet and the scar tissue body can’t be unseen.

She’d had a boyfriend who’d talked about her status, and she was bullied. With her affirmation mother and meds, and rejection of her father who supposedly abused her, though he talked to her boyfriend and agreed to come see her, sounded like the rejection was from her and her mother. She got overreactionary when she saw her boyfriend surprised her with her dad?

She’d just told him she’d lied about him being dead. And he looked him up and surprised her, in love.

Cite girl notwithstanding, a lot of lies and subterfuge.

There’d have been a better book if they’d ever had a bounce talk with actual adults and young adults, even juveniles/teenagers allowed to ask all the questions.

It’s just social experimental shallow, lacking depth and detail.

They’re not caught up or ignored the trans regret, the major lawsuits.

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Book Review: Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

By: Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

Published: October 4, 2022

Publisher: Ballantine Books

The idea for MAD HONEY came from Jennifer Finney Boylan’s dream. She woke from the dream and tweeted about it tagging Picoult. MAD HONEY is the result of that dream come true and the particular plot she wanted to write with Picoult.

I have been a long-time fan of Jodi Picoult’s, even getting to meet her in person at a book signing event years ago. I can always count on Picoult’s books to challenge my thoughts about a topic, a disease, or some event. Her books are known for having a big twist or surprise in them that readers often don’t see coming. MAD HONEY encompasses all of that. Her latest with Finney Boylan offers a story of two single moms raising their children the best they can. There are numerous trigger warnings in this book including domestic violence and suicide. But, a huge piece of this story is one that can be quite divisive and is ripped from the headlines. I recommend you go in knowing very little in order to have the best experience reading it. I have to admit, I wasn’t sure I could finish this one, but I kept at it and am glad I finished it. These two authors definitely taught me a new perspective on a hot topic as well as an immense amount of information about raising bees and honey. I was delighted to see the honey recipes at the end of the book. .

“We both fall silent for a little bit. We don’t say it out loud, but we’re both thinking: it would be nice if there were some things you could forget.”

Each author took a character’s voice and then also wrote one chapter in the other character’s voice. But, truly, the story was seamless and a reader would never know there were two authors. The story is told alternately from the perspective of Olivia, a second-generation beekeeper who has recently returned to her home of Adams, New Hampshire to raise her son Asher, a senior in high school. Lily is a new student at Asher’s high school. She and her mom, Ava have recently moved there to start fresh after living in California. Lily and Asher begin dating and become inseparable. When Lily is found dead, Asher is arrested for her murder.

“He is right; you don’t ever recover from losing someone you love-even the ones you leave behind because you’re better off without them.”

Along with the alternating chapters, Lily’s story is also told backward, which took some getting used to. Olivia’s story is moving forward at the same time the reader is learning what led up to the day of the murder. As a mom, I struggled numerous times with the emotions in this story. One mom is grieving over the death of her child and the other mom is grieving that she might lose her child forever to the prison system. It’s a hard story to take and one I had to put down a few times to take a break. But, that is sometimes what makes a story great. It doesn’t gloss over the rough parts but hits you solid right between the eyes.

“Do not listen to anyone who tells you a broken heart is a metaphor. You can feel the cracks and the fissures. It’s like ice splintering under your feet; like the cliff crumbling beneath your weight.”

Both authors hope this novel inspires compassion while also educating the reader on a sensitive topic. Ultimately, this is a story of two moms who do everything they can to protect their children and yet, they can’t protect them from everything. As a mom, that hurt, yet it reminded me that sometimes we can do everything in our power to protect them, and ultimately, we have to let them live the life ahead of us.

To purchase a copy of MAD HONEY, click the photo below:

Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy of this book for the purpose of this review. This review is my honest opinion. If you choose to make a purchase through the above links, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase.

Posted Under Book Review , fiction , honey , Jennifer Finney Boylan , Jodi Picoult , LGBTQ

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Book review: 'Mad Honey'

By Greg Rienzi

Olivia McAfee, a beekeeper and single mom, has fled Boston and an abusive husband to give her son, Asher, a better life in small-town New Hampshire. All's well for the next 12 years until the now high school senior meets Lily Campanello, a new girl in town who, like Asher's mother, has fled a troubled past. Without giving away much, one day Asher finds Lily sprawled at the bottom of her stairs, unresponsive. Or did he find her that way? In Mad Honey , authors Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan, A&S '86 (MA), join forces for a book that's part sexual identity tale, part trial drama, and part manual on the intricacies of beekeeping. You'll come for the mystery but stay for the depictions of Olivia harvesting honey.

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Book Review: Mad Honey

Olivia McAfee knows what it’s like to start over. She upended her picture-perfect life — living in Boston, married to a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, raising a beautiful son, Asher — when her husband revealed his dark side. She never imagined she would end up back in Adams, her sleepy New Hampshire hometown, living in the house in which she and her brother, Jordan, grew up, and taking over her father’s beekeeping business.

Lily Campanello is familiar with starting over, too. She and her mom have relocated to Adams for her final year of high school, both hoping for a fresh start.

For just a short while, their new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need.

Their paths cross when Asher, an excellent student and hockey team stand-out, and Lily fall for each other. With Asher, Lily feels truly happy for the first time. Still, she wonders if she can she trust him completely . . .

Then Olivia gets a phone call no parent wants to receive. Lily is dead. Asher is being questioned by the police.

Olivia is adamant that Asher is innocent. But she has seen flashes of his father’s temper in him and, as the case against him unfolds, she realizes he’s hidden more than he’s shared with her.

Mad Honey is a suspensful mystery, as well as an unforgettable love story, and an exploration of what we choose to keep from our past and what we choose to leave behind on our way to becoming ourselves.

Jodi Picoult is the bestselling author of twenty-nine prior novels, including Wish You Were Here , The Book of Two Ways , A Spark of Light , Change of Heart , Lone Wolf , Keeping Faith , and Nineteen Minutes . She has also penned two young adult novels with her daughter, Samantha Van Leer, which were adapted into a musical entitled Between the Lines. Four of her novels have been adapted into television movies and Her Sister’s Keeper was developed into a film. A graduate of Princeton University, Picoult has won numerous awards.

Jennifer Finney Boylan is a professor, author of novels and short stories, memoirist, and well-known human rights advocate and activitist. advocate for human rights. Her 2003 memoir, She’s Not There: a Life in Two Genders , was the first bestselling book by a transgender American. She has penned seventeen other books, including a subsequent memoir, Good Boy: My Life in 7 Dogs . She served as a Contributing Opinion Writer for the opinion page of the New York Times for fifteen years. She also is a member of the faculty of the Breadloaf Writers’ Conference of Middlebury College, and the Sirenland Writers’ Conference in Positano, Italy. She is the inaugural Anna Quindlen Writer in Residence at Barnard College of Columbia University. She was the subject of documentaries on CBS News’ 48 Hours and The History Channel. She serves on the Board of Trustees of PEN America, a nonprofit organization that advocates for authors, readers, and freedom of expression, and is a past member of the Board of Directors of GLAAD and Board of Trustees of the Kinsey Institute for Research on Sex, Gender, and Reproduction.

The genesis of Picoult and Boylan’s collaboration on Mad Honey is literally something out of a dream . . . In May 2017, Boylan awoke to the realization that she had dreamed she was writing a novel with Picoult about a “girl who died; her boyfriend, who had been accused of her murder; and the boy’s mother, who was torn between the compelling evidence of her son’s guilt and the love she bore for him in her heart.” Boylan had been a fan since reading Picoult’s 2003 novel, The Pact . Picoult enjoyed Boylan’s memoir, She’s Not There , and supplied a complimentary blurb for Long Black Veil , her 2016 novel. When Boylan Tweeted, “I dreamed I was co-authoring a book with Jodi Picoult,” she soon received a private message from Picoult asking what the book was about. Picoult, who is known for examining thorny social issues through her fiction and had been contemplating a book focused on transgender rights, was intrigued. Picoult imagined “creating a trans character who was so real and compelling that . . . [readers would] love her for who she was, not what she was.” They began crafting the book in early 2020, just as the world shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The book opens on December 7, 2018, the day on which Olivia receives the kind of phone call every parent dreads. She is a beekeeper who returned to her home town of Adams, New Hampshire, twelve years ago with her son, Asher, now a high school senior. The story is related through two first-person narratives. From Picoult’s perspective, the division of labor was mandated by the subject matter. Thus, it was agreed that Picoult would draft Olivia’s account. Asher has been dating Lily since September. She is a new student who relocated from Point Reyes, California, with her mother, Ava, a U.S. Forest Ranger who accepted a desk job in order to facilitate her transfer to New Hampshire. Lily’s narrative, drafted by Boylan, begins on the same day as Olivia’s and is presented on alternating chapters. However, as Olivia’s account moves forward in time, Lily’s moves incrementally in reverse chronological order. The co-authors agreed, however, that they would each write at least one chapter in the other character’s voice, and re-edit each other’s work in order to ensure continuity and consistency. The technique worked, leaving even the authors unable, after revisions, to recall which portions they penned.

Olivia is a strong, protective mother who has already taken bold steps to protect her only child. As the story progresses, she tells the story of how she met and fell in love with Asher’s father, as well as why their marriage ended in divorce. Revealing those details gradually, as Olivia’s strength, resolve, and faith in her son is tested, proves highly effective. Specific junctures in the investigation into Lily’s death — Asher’s interrogation, arrest, and the ensuing trial — dovetail with past events to provide insight into Olivia’s psyche. She loves Asher unconditionally, but there is strong circumstantial evidence linking him to Lily’s death, which is ruled a homicide. Current events trigger Olivia’s memories of incidents that occurred during her marriage, culminating in the moment when she knew it had reached the proverbial point of no return. Olivia took steps to ensure that Asher would be protected from his father’s influence, so Asher has not had a relationship with him since he was six years old. Still, Olivia is unsure about how much Asher remembers of their life with his father and worries that Asher could have inherited undesirable traits from him. Her brother, Jordan, one of New Hampshire’s most famous defense attorneys (who has appeared in prior Picoult novels), agrees to defend Asher and has he explains the legal significance of the evidence against him, Olivia’s belief in Asher’s innocence wavers. She understandably questions whether her child has a capacity for violence that resulted in the death of the girl he loved. And that is one thing she is sure about: Asher loved Lily. But Olivia also learns that Asher has kept secrets from her, invalidating some of her assumptions about her son’s character and further challenging her belief in his innocence.

Olivia is a highly sympathetic character with whom readers, especially parents, will readily empathize. Moving to Adams in order to keep Asher safe and shielded from his father’s example was a sacrifice, but she does not regret having returned to her hometown for the sake of her son. Asher is poised to graduate from high school and begin college, leaving Olivia to think about her own needs and desires for the first time in years. She liked Lily from the moment she met her, and was thrilled to see Asher happy. Picoult (and Boylan) compassionately and believably portray Olivia’s internal emotional struggle as she desperately wants to believe that her child is not a killer, and questions her parenting and whether she did enough to prevent him from becoming like his father. Like Lily, Olivia knows Asher to be a “gentle, gentle spirit” but, also like Lily, she has seen his temper flare and it frightened her. Her anguish, as Asher’s bright future teeters, is palpable and credible, especially when Jordan competently and frankly explains the legal peril in which Asher finds himself.

Lily’s story also begins on “the day of” her death. Five days earlier, Asher picked her up at her house, promising a wonderful surprise. But things did not go as Asher hoped and Lily has missed the past three days of school because she hasn’t felt well, but she is also avoiding Asher and her classmates. Lily is a talented cellist who, like Asher, is excited about graduation and college. She considers her mother, “Ranger Mom,” not just a “badass,” but also her staunchest protector, defender, and friend. Indeed, Lily reveals how Ava, like Olivia, has proven that she will do whatever is necessary to take care of her daughter, shield her from harm, and help her lead a happy life, authentically. Because readers are informed immediately that Lily has died, getting to know her and understand her emotional journey is bittersweet, but exponentially more poignant and impactful. While Asher’s future hangs in the balance, Lily’s has been obliterated, leaving her mother grieving and, like Olivia, wondering if Asher could be capable of taking her only child’s life, just as she was on the brink of attaining so many of her goals. Like Asher, Lily’s relationship with her father has been troubled and she is estranged from him. She has even lied to Asher, telling him her father is dead in order to avoid explaining the reasons why he is no longer part of her life. She says, “People always talk about how their love for you is unconditional. Then you reveal your most private self to them, and you find out how many conditions there are in unconditional love.” At the beginning of their romance, there is more about Lily that Asher does not know, and Lily fears that if Asher learns the real reasons why she and her mother moved to Adams, their relationship will end.

Picoult is known for her skillful misdirection and shocking revelations, and Mad Honey is no exception. Readers are expertly drawn into Lily’s compelling story, a big portion of which is, of course, focused on her relationship with Asher and its evolution. It is deeply moving, in no small part because Boylan flawlessly captures Lily’s teen tone, style, and angst. Boylan deftly conveys Lily’s emotional struggles, joys, and determination to navigate the world as her true self, buoyed by her mother’s tireless and unconditional support. She also educates readers by setting forth information in a straight-forward manner that enhances readers’ understandings of various issues and the practical ways in which they can be addressed. She and Picoult thoroughly enmesh readers in Lily’s challenges before abruptly revealing, in dramatic fashion, one salient fact that decimates assumptions held up to that point and forces readers to view Lily’s journey through a completely different lens. Which is, of course, the point. With knowledge of what Lily went through and who she was, Picoult and Boylan ask readers to see her in exactly the same way they did before they were made privy to private details about her.

In true Picoult fashion, Mad Honey is a clever and absorbing murder mystery featuring riveting courtroom scenes that is marred only by its predictable and, frankly, overused resolution. The story is punctuated with details about bees and beekeeping that parallel the action in the characters’ lives, as well as a deeply touching and thought-provoking meditation on social issues. It is an examination of motherhood, depicted through the characters of Olivia and Ava, both of whom are called upon to stand firm in their convictions about and defense of their child. They have both “protected them from their fathers, giving enough love to spackle over the hate.” They have sacrificed their own dreams in order to shield their children from physical and emotional abuse, as well as the aftermath thereof. Olivia is undergoing the unbelievably stressful experience of seeing a child accused of a heinous crime, facing possible imprisonment for life, and digging deep within her emotional resources to be balance the need to pragmatically evaluate the evidence and its implications against what she knows about the child raised. In contrast, there is nothing more Ava can do for her child except mourn and remember her, and hope that justice is served.

Mad Honey is also a thoughtful exploration of what it means to be one’s true self and how hard that can be when others — sometimes even those who should steadfastly accept and love us unconditionally — refuse to accept us as we are. It’s the candid and excruciatingly heartbreaking story of a girl who wanted most to be, and be seen and acknowledged as just that: a girl whose internal self-concept matched what she presented to the world. Through their characters, they ponder the concept of privacy vs. secrecy. “There is no set of rules that dictates what you owe someone you love. What parts of your past should be disclosed? . . . Where is the line between keeping something private, and being dishonest? What if the worst happens? What if honesty is the thing that breaks you apart?”

Boylan says that as the manuscript was nearly finalized, she was “dogged by two melancholy thoughts” that readers will undoubtedly share. First, for Ava who lost and will always miss her only child. But also for Lily, who will not go on to college or have all of the other wonderful life experiences to which young people look forward, in no small measure because far too many real girls like her are killed every year. But Boylan hopes that by telling Lily’s story, she will “open hearts” and “shine a light on issues that you may have never thought about in this way before.” As Lily explains, “People want the world to be simple. But gender isn’t simple, much as some might want it to be. The fact that it’s complicated — that there’s a whole spectrum of ways of being in the world — is what makes it a blessing. Surely nature — or god, or the universe — is full of miracles and wild invention and things way beyond our understanding, no matter how hard we try. We aren’t here on earth in order to bend over backwards to resemble everybody else. We’re here to be ourselves, in all our gnarly brilliance.”

For Picoult’s part, she doesn’t want readers to take anything away from reading Mad Honey . Rather, she wants readers “to give — a chance, a thought, a damn. . . . [D]ifference is a construct. We are all flawed, complicated, scarred dreamers; we have more in common with each other than we don’t. Sometimes making the world a better place just involves creating space for the people who are already in it.” And that’s the clear message imbued in Mad Honey , a book that should be required reading in every high school and college in America because that’s the deceptively simple and quite timely point that Picoult and Boylan make through its characters.

Excerpt from Mad Honey

Olivia ~ 1, december 7, 2018.